2 Texas Counties Have the Highest Risk For Hail Damage in the Country

It’s getting to be that time of year again. The time of year when those of us in Texas can almost always count on being under some sort of severe weather watch or warning every day. 

Sure, the weather can be super scary here, but as long as we’re aware of the threat and keep an eye and/or ear on the local media, we’ll most likely be okay. It’s when the weather catches folks off guard that they’re most at risk of injury or death.

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When we talk about severe weather, of course, tornadoes immediately come to mind. Some of the strongest tornadoes in history have ravaged the Lone Star State. 

READ MORE: Common Causes of Wildfires in Texas You Need to Know

In fact, the tornado that hit Lubbock on May 11, 1970 could technically be considered an EF6. But, an EF6 is defined as “unimaginable destruction.” Since a human can’t imagine what is unimaginable the EF5 rating, described as “total destruction,” applies to every tornado with wind speeds over 200 mph. 

But hail is also extremely destructive. On average, hail causes $1 billion in damage each year. 

Now that we’re heading into hail season, researchers at Roof Gnome used FEMA data to compare more than 600 U.S. counties to determine which were the most at risk for hail damage and of course, two Texas counties were at the top of the list. 

Dallas County is the most at risk for hail damage in the entire country. Its neighbor to the west, Tarrant County, was ranked as the third most at risk.